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Sony NEX-5 Review
Reported by Justin Chng on Tuesday, September 7 2010 11:35 am
Mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) are getting popular these days as they are designed for users who want the form factor of compact cameras, with performance that is as good as the digital SLRs. The NEX-5 is Sony's first mirrorless interchangable-lens camera in the Alpha series lineup and VR-Zone has the chance to get one in for review. Does it live up to expectations ? Let us take a look.
The Sony Alpha NEX-5 is Sony's first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, powered by a 14.2-megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor, 49-segment exposure meter and a 25-point contract detect auto-focus system
At first glance, the Alpha NEX-5's sleek design comes with a 3-inch tilting LCD panel at 921,000-dot resolution.
The Alpha NEX-5 looks like a worthy competitor against the Micro Four Thirds cameras in the market as it is also to equip different lens using Sony's proprietary E-mount. The existing Alpha lens can also be fitted with an optional LA-EA1 adapter.
In the retail package of the Sony NEX-5, we have the following:
In the retail package of the Sony NEX-5, we have the following:
- Battery charger
- Power cord (for the charger)
- Rechargeable battery
- USB cable
- Shoulder strap
- External flash unit in a case
- CD with software and instructional manual
- Lens (dependent on package)
Here's a look at the specification tablet:
| Sony Alpha NEX-5 | |
| Camera Type | Interchangable lens digital camera |
| Lens Compatibility | Sony E-mount lenses |
| Image Sensor | APS-C type (23.4x15.6mm), Exmor APS- HD with CMOS sensor RGB Primary color filters |
| Megapixels | 14.6 |
| Recording Media | Memory Stick PRO Duo / Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, SD memory card / SDHC memory card / SDXC memory card |
| Recording System (Still Image) | |
| Recording Format | JPEG (DCF Ver.2.0, Exif Ver.2.3, MPF Baseline compliant), RAW (Sony ARW 2.2 format), RAW & JPEG |
| Image Size | 3:2 Aspect Ratio - L: 4592 x 3056 (14M), M: 3344 x 2224 (7.4M), S: 2288 x 1520 (3.5M) 16:9 Aspect Ratio - L: 4592 x 2576 (12M), M: 3344 x 1872 (6.3M), S: 2288 x 1280 (2.9M) |
| Creative Styles | Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, B/W (Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness adjustable in +/-3 steps) |
| Dynamic Range | Off, D-Range Optimizer (Auto, Lv 1-5), Auto HDR (Auto Exposure Diff., Adjustable Exposure Diff.: up to 6EV between 1.0EV to 6EV in 1 EV steps) |
| Color Space | sRGB, Adobe RGB |
| Recording System (Movie) | |
| Recording Format | AVCHD, MPEG-4 |
| Video Compression | MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) |
| Image Size | AVCHD - 1920x1080 (50i / average bit rate 17Mbps) MP4 - 1440x1080 (25fps / average bit rate 12Mbps) VGA - 640x480 (25fps / average bitrate 3Mbps) |
| Features | |
| White Balance Modes | Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, C. temp./Filter (2500- 9900k with 19-step Magenta/Green compensation) |
| Facial Detection | Up to 8 faces detectable automatically |
| Smile Shutter | Selectable from 3 steps |
| Precision Digital Zoom | 1.1x - 10x |
| Exif Print, Print Image Matching III, DPOF setting | |
| Focus System and Exposure Control | |
| Focus Type | Contrast-detect AF with a sensitivity range of EV0-20 (ISO100 equivalent, with F2.8 lens attached) |
| Auto-focus Mode | AF-S (Single-shot AF) / AF-C (Continuous AF) selectable |
| Focus Area | Multi (25 points) / Center / Flexible spot selectable |
| Other Focusing Features | Predictive control, Focus lock, Built-in AF illuminator (Distance: approx. 0.3-4.0m with E 16 F2.8 lens, approx. 0.5-3.0m with E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS) |
| Metering System Type | 49-zone metering with a sensitivity range of EV0-20 (ISO100 equivalent, with F2.8 lens attached) |
| Metering Modes | Multi / Center / Spot selectable |
| Scene Selection | Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports Action, Sunset, Night portrait, Night View, Hand-held Night Shot |
| Exposure Bracketing | +/-2.0EV in 1/3EV steps |
| ISO Sensitivity | AUTO (ISO200-1600?, ISO200 to 12800 selectable (in 1EV steps, Recommended Exposure Index) |
| Screen Display | |
| LCD Monitor Type | 7.5cm (3.0-type) wide type TFT, Xtra Fine LCD with TruBlack technology |
| Total No. Of Dots | 921,600 dots |
| Field Coverage | 100% |
| Brightness Control | Auto / Manual (5 steps between -2 and +2) / Sunny Weather |
| Adjustable Angle | Up by approx. 80 degrees, down by approx. 45 degrees (from the camera back) |
| Audio | |
| Microphone | Built-in stereo microphone or ECM-SST1*5 attachable to Smart Accessory Terminal |
| Speaker | Built-in, monaural, Volume settings in 8 steps between 0 and 7 |
| Shutter | |
| Shutter Type | Electronically controlled, vertical traverse, focal-plane type |
| Speed | 1/4000 to 30 sec, Bulb |
| Flash Sync Speed | 1/160 sec |
| Drive | |
| Shooting Modes | Single-shot, Continuous shooting, Speed-priority continuous shooting, Self-timer, Remote commander |
| Self Timer | 10/2 sec delay selectable, Cont.: with 10 sec delay, 3/5 exposures selectable |
| Continuous Shooting FPS | Continuous mode: max. 2.3 fps, Speed-priority continuous mode: max 7 fps |
| Interface | |
| PC | USB2.0 Hi-speed (Mass-storage, PTP) |
| HD Output | HDMI mini connector (Type-C), BRAVIA Sync (link menu), PhotoTV HD |
| Compatible OS | Windows(R) XP SP3, Windows Vista(R) SP2, Windows 7, Mac OS X (v10.3-v10.6 64-bit editions and Starter Edition not supported. Windows Image Mastering API (IMAPI) Ver. 2.0 or greater is necessary to create disks |
| Flash | |
| Type | External flash (supplied), attachable to Smart Accessory Terminal |
| Flash Coverage | 16mm (focal length printed on lens body) |
| Guide No. | 7 (in meters at ISO100) |
| Control | P-TTL metering |
| Flash Modes | Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. |
| Red-eye Reduction |
On/Off selectable for Autoflash and fill-flash mode |
| Recycle Time | Approx 4 seconds |
| Power and Size | |
| Battery Type | One rechargeable battery pack NP-FW50 |
| External Power | Battery charger BC-VW1(supplied), AC Adaptor AC-PW20AM |
| Battery Performance | Approx. 330 images (CIPA standard) |
| Camera Dimensions | 110.8 x 58.8 x 38.2mm (without protrusions) |
| Camera Weight | Approx. 287g |
| Operating Temperature | 0-40°C / 32 deg. F to 104 deg. F |
